Fans have been concerned that Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who suffered a hamstring injury during training camp on August 12, will be unable to play in the team’s season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions have just released some great news concerning Gibbs heading into Week 1.
Jahmyr Gibbs is Returning in Full
According to the Detroit Lions’ injury report from September 4, Gibbs is no longer listed as injured. He should be healthy and ready to face the Rams on Sunday, September 8.
“When you can run like he runs—I mean, this guy can run—then if you don’t touch that speed in practice at least once or twice a day, you set yourself up for something to happen on Sunday,” Campbell explained in a Lions transcript.
“[If] you’re a person who sprints 22 miles per hour, you better touch it because the first time you touch it in a game, when someone is after you and you’re rushing away, awful things happen. […] So, I believe the secret is to educate him on this and force him to do it in order to avoid a setback. So, we’re working on it; he’s doing it, and we like where he’s at.”
Gibbs was the Lions’ No. 12 overall pick last season. In his debut year, he accumulated 1,261 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games. He carried for 945 yards and ten touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. He also grabbed 52 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown. Penei Sewell was not listed on the Lions’ expected injury report on Wednesday, indicating he should be available for Sunday.
Jahmyr Gibbs is ‘More Confident’
Gibbs spoke with ESPN on September 3 and said he feels about “98-100 percent” recovered.
“I’m fine.” I am straight. “I just had a little tweak,” Gibbs explained in the interview. “We were running routes, and I ran a go and reached out for the ball and probably overstepped or something.” He continued,
“I’m hoping we have a wonderful year. I’m just more confident and know the offense better, which helps a lot with everything involved.”
Jahmyr Gibbs Should See ‘More of a Load’ This Season
During the offseason, general manager Brad Holmes spoke about Gibbs’ growth as a player.
“I definitely would expect him to see more of a load,” Brad Holmes stated during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show in May. “But David Montgomery will still be here. Dan (Campbell) and I enjoy the 1-2 punch of him and David. But, speaking specifically about (Gibbs), as a rookie last year, even when he had some pops in that Kansas City game in that opener, I was watching and thinking,
‘He’s still getting the feel of the game.’ He was playing really rapidly, and he actually needed to slow down a bit, and he freely said that, ‘I had to slow it down a bit, I was kind of going too fast,’ which he was.”
He stated, “But once he got that sweet spot, you kind of saw it in the Ravens game, which unfortunately we didn’t show up very well for that game, but you started seeing some glimpses of, ‘I think it’s coming, I think it’s coming,’ and then obviously that Raiders game, where I believe everyone saw the breakout of, ‘OK, the game is slowing down for him.'” “Now you’re witnessing exactly what you saw in Alabama.
